our John's is little better, for an let them alane but ae eught days, they'll grow as grit as grosets. And here ⟨I⟩ sold a bone comb and a napkin, for she believed such ⟨a⟩ douse lad as I, had no hand in making her boy burn ⟨the⟩ bone comb.
The next house I came into, there was a very little taylor, sitting on a table like a t--d on a truncher, with his legs plet over other, made me imagine he was a sucking three footed taylor; first I sold him a thimble, and then he wanted needles, which I showed him one paper after another, he looking their eyes & trying their nebs in his sleeve, dropt the ones he though proper on the ground between his feet, where he sat in a dark corner near the fire, thinking I would not perceive him: O, said he, them needles of yours is not good man, I'll not buy any of them. I do not think you need, said I, taking them out of his hand, and lights a candle was standing near by, come, said I, sit about you thieving dog till I gather up my needles, gathers up ten of them; come, said he, I'll buy twal-penny's worth of them, frae I troubled you sae; no, said I, you lousie dog, I'll sell you none, if there's any on the ground, seek them up, and stap them in a beast's a--se; but if ye were a man I would burn you in the fire, tho' it be in your own house, but as you are neither man nor boy, I'll do nothing but expose you for what you are. O dear honest chapman, cried his wife, ye manna do that and I'se gie you cheese and bread. No, no, you theives, I'm for nothing but vengeance; no bribes for such: so as I was lifting my pack, there was a pretty black cat which I spread my napkin over, took the four corners in my hand, carrying her to the middle of the town, then provoking the dogs to an engagement with me, so that there came upon me four or five collies, then I threw the poor taylor's cat in the
